Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia
Australia: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 11.3% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia stood at 11.3%.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia peaked at 11.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2004.
That places Australia 64th out of 123 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 10.5% | — |
| 1985 | 10.7% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 10.2% | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 10.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 10.2% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 10.5% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +9.2% |
| 2018 | 11.7% | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -3.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 11.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.6%, 97% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Australia's 11.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.3%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.8% | 10.5% | 11.2% | 3 |
| 1990s | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 9.8% | 11.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More poverty & inequality data for Australia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,690 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -0.0446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 30.36 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.4% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Australia was 11.3% in 2020, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2004.
- How does Australia rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Australia ranks 64th out of 123 countries with data for 2020.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.